Dahlia Planting Tips

• Open and inspect your dahlia order as soon as it arrives.  Do not allow them to freeze, dry out, or get too wet or they will be ruined. If you need to store them for a bit before safe planting time you can put them in a cool area with some slightly damp peat moss, vermiculite, potting mix etc and check them often. Reach out if you have any issues or questions.
  
  
• You can pot them up indoors if you have some time before you can safely plant them out.  This can help them get a head start on growing for the season and get you earlier blooms.  They will need strong light once they sprout so keep that in mind.  Once option is to place them outside during the warm days and bring in at night so they don't experience too cold of temps.
  
  
• Once the risk of frost has passed, and soil temperatures are around 60 degrees, plant your tubers about 4-6" deep laying flat/horizontally in the hole.  Optional: Place a stake near tuber, but be careful not to pierce tuber, placing stake before burying the tuber is a good idea.   We do recommend some type of support for your dahlias. Tubers should sprout within 3-5 weeks.  CLICK HERE to find out when your last expected frost date is typically.
  
  
• Dahlias prefer full SUN and consistent, deep watering at least weekly through the growing season with the EXCEPTION of when they are first planted and before they have sprouted.  Once you plant your tubers water only lightly if you haven't had rainfall.  If they get too much moisture before they have had a chance to develop healthy roots to take up the moisture, they are at risk of rotting.:(  A safe time to increase their watering is once you see green sprouts, they are ready for more water.:)
  
  
• Pruning or pinching your plants (optional)- You can increase the number of blooms and strength of your plant by pinching the tip or top set of leaves once your plant is 12" tall.  Just snip the growth above the 3rd set of leaves and it will send up new branches and become a fuller more robust plant with more blooms to enjoy. This is an optional step.
  
  
• Deadhead regularly- Dahlias will produce more blooms if you regularly harvest blooms or deadhead the spent blooms.  So feel free to cut lots of blooms and enjoy them inside and share with friends.  Dahlias have a 3-5 day vase life, with flower food, frequent water changes, and stem freshening snips.
  
  
• Feed your plants-  Fertilizing regularly with a lower nitrogen formula such as a 5-10-10 or similar formula will keep them happy and churning out the blooms.
  
  
• Pests- If you find you are having issues with slug or earwig damage you can apply Sluggo Plus pellets around your plants.  Also, watch for rodent activity nearby, underground critters like gophers and voles might like to snack on your tubers.
  
  
• Feel free to reach out-  Contact me at summerfieldacresfarm@gmail.com and I am always happy to offer suggestions, trouble shooting, and I love getting brag photos too!
  
  WINTER STORAGE OPTIONS-
  
  
•  Option #1 Be free, don't worry about digging them-  A lot of people avoid dahlias because they have heard you have to dig them up in the fall and they don't want to bother with that.  Totally understandable! I don't want you to miss out on the enjoyment of dahlias if this is you!  You do not HAVE to dig them up! A lot of people treat dahlias like an annual plant (just like you get petunias and marigolds to enjoy for the summer) and enjoy for one season and don't bother digging them up. 
  
  
• Option #2 Try leaving them in the ground- You can also try leaving them in the ground and mulching heavily over the top of them to protect them from the cold temps.  We have successfully overwintered dahlias here near Pendleton, OR for several years in a row using deep mulch over the top.  You might want to plant them a little deeper at 6" if you plan to leave them in the ground as a little bit better odds for them to survive.
  
  
• Option #3 If you want to dig up and save your dahlias- If you would like to store them out of the ground over winter, for best results, wait for a killing frost in the fall when foliage dies back and shows that classic frost damage of black leaves, or wilted foliage.  However, avoid letting them get hit really hard with sub-freezing temps (so don't wait too long into winter low temps).  Start by cutting off the tops of the plants and dig the clump of tubers carefully so that you do not to pierce the tubers.   From this point you have a few different options depending on your goals and timing of when and if you want to divide the plants for more tubers to grow or share next year.
  
  If you plan to divide the clumps right away, I suggest hosing off all the dirt and allow them to dry for a few hours.  Do not wait too long to divide to get them into storage medium in our area because they dry out fast and this reduces storage life considerably. I try to dig, divide, and get into storage within 24 hours, so I only dig what I think I can get processed within 1 day. 
  
  If you want to store as a clump you can leave some of the soil on with good results.  For storing in clumps, we recommend placing them in a slightly damp storage medium like peat moss, vermiculite, or potting mix that is only very slightly moist within a plastic bag with small holes to allow them to breathe a little and then place into an insulated box (crumpled up paper around them in a storage tote or box or possibly a Styrofoam cooler) and store in an area that stays between 40-50 degrees and WILL NOT FREEZE. 
  
  For freshly divided tubers we recommend waiting 12 hours for the cut areas to dry out and heal over (depending on how humid or arid your area is).  We have found 2 methods of storage to be ideal for divided tubers.  Slightly damp peat moss or wrapping tubers in plastic wrap were very successful storage mediums for us in our area.  We also place the divided tubers into insulated boxes or coolers to protect from freezing temps.
  
  Your storage area needs to stay cool, but protected from freezing temps.  A garage or shop, under your house in the crawl space, insulated shed with small heater to keep above freezing (but don't let them get above 50 very often), unheated basement, wine fridge, extra fridge on warmest setting might be good options to consider. Ideal temperatures are between 40-45 as much as possible.  I use a Goovee wifi temperature sensor in my storage box area so I can set alerts on my phone and monitor things remotely, but that is because I have so many tubers to keep safe for you all!   I do recommend checking on your tubers periodically over winter to have a chance to correct any issues that might be coming up (drying out too fast, rotting, sprouting before it's time because they are too warm etc).
  
  YouTube has some great tutorials on digging & dividing dahlia tubers if you prefer a more visual way to learn about these steps for success with growing and storing dahlias.  You can divide in the fall just after digging or you can wait until spring when tubers begin to wake up as the temperatures start to rise a bit and you can see the eyes or sprouts.
  
  I hope these tips have been helpful and not too overwhelming!  You can go as technical and careful or as laid back as you want and there is no guilt if things don't go according to plan.  Storage failures sometimes happen, tubers sometimes rot in the ground before sprouting, plants tip over in big wind storms and break off, BUT most plants thrive and bloom their hearts out for you!  Just keep trying new things in your situation and see what works best for YOU & your growing environment.  I have had a few failures too, but overwhelmingly I've had success, enjoyment, and beauty added to my life by growing these stunning flowers!  I would be honored to help troubleshoot any issues you might be having or offer advice when needed.

Happy Growing!